Chapter 4

My grandmother Paula was in the kitchen making breakfast after the tense night we had in Brasília.

- Good morning to the most beautiful grandmother in the world.

- Good morning my love, I'm preparing that coffee you like - she pointed to the cloth strainer - Your aunt told me yesterday about the mess you got in that award delivery.

- Grandma, it wasn't my fault the girl who was crazy and grabbed me in the bathroom.

- My son, just a piece of advice, hold your turkey in your pants or you'll get sick boy.

- Listen to what your grandma says boy - Nathi says entering the kitchen - This one will end up getting into trouble soon, and he won't be able to get out of it.

- If you keep talking like that and cursing me, you'll stop being my favorite cousin - she laughed.

- I'm not your favorite, you just don't have a choice – she took a sip of my coffee – Let's go my favorite, work awaits us.

- Emhre wait - so me and Nathi, we stopped and paid attention to grandma - Your mother called yesterday - she paused - Told me that we have to go to the palace in a few days, your brother's wedding has been set.

- I'll wait for you outside - then Nathi left like a rocket.

- So he's really getting married?

- It's what was expected, isn't it my son – then grandma paused and sighed – We can't do anything – I left and found Nathi leaning against the truck, pensive.

- I thought I would never leave this kitchen again.

- I'm already here at your service, miss - I bowed and she got into the truck.

So me and Nathi headed to a place where I loved being.

Of course, it wasn't really work, but charity.

The mill had a sea of ​​farmland, so Mom had the bright idea to use some of that land for good, and she built HOME OF THE STARS.

There, our little stars were well cared for and we tried our best to bring love and affection to everyone, and I loved being there, caring and giving attention to each one of them.

Nathalia was found in the sugarcane field of the plant by uncle Pedro, he saw the small package move and got out of the car to see what it was about, until then he thought it was puppies that someone had left there lying on the side of the road, more when opening the cloth that wrapped it came across the little baby with green eyes and white skin.

Nathi's situation was not good, as ants were walking on her and some had already bitten her tiny little body, so Uncle Pedro took her home.

Aunt Sophie fell in love with the little black-haired baby and adopted her, and Nathi has always been our miracle.

Many children are abandoned by their parents in the same situation, and that's where Lar Das Estrelinhas comes in, with all the love and affection that we can all offer.

At first, the orphanage was created to receive needy children from the region, mom and aunt Sophie used the money from our family and from the plant itself to build and take care of the children in the asylum, the old people abandoned by the family also started to arrive, and it's amazing as with each passing day an elderly person was abandoned, left as an old piece of furniture that no longer serves any purpose and was replaced.

So Lar Das Estrelinhas also became a shelter for the elderly.

Children who arrive as babies are welcomed, those of school age study at the institution itself and teenagers take courses and qualify, and most of them who attend college and return to the Home and become employees, we have doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers who stay there to take care of the family, because we are a family.

And I love being together with this family, even when I'm not in Brazil I'm always in contact with them in video calls, especially from my dear Bianca, she arrived here as a baby when I was only fifteen years old today, she was the most beautiful baby that I've seen her in my life, and today she, at ten years old, is still the beautiful and charming girl.

I think a lot about adopting her permanently, and when I turn 30, little Bianca will come live with me somewhere in the world.

Our visit started at the nursery and unfortunately new little babies arrived, I think all children should be raised in their homes with the love of a father and mother, but often the reality is different, but we are lucky to have them and be able to see them grow up and become adults different from their parents.

We went to school and created a big ruckus among the children who ran to hug us, my little Bianca approaches and as always shy smiles and I open my arms for her to come to me, and she runs and the hug I get is wonderful.

I know I shouldn't get attached to her, but she's my weakness here at Home.

- Uncle Emhre, I miss you.

- Me too, my little one, I miss you so much.

- I didn't know you were here - she tightens the hug.

- I came to receive an award and see you and the children.

- A prize, how nice - she left the hug and looks at me curiously - What did you do good to receive an award?

Here at the home at the end of the year, children who behaved well also win a prize.

Did you behave well too, Uncle Emhre?

- Uncle Emhre never behaves well my dear, who won the prize was the Usina and he was just the guy who went up there to get the trophy - says Nathi.

- Our Nathi doesn't need to offend right.

- And in case I lied?

– so I gave her tongue and we continued our visit with Bianca by our side as usual, Nathalia Always says that if I don't adopt her she will.

- Don't fight with my dearest uncle, Aunt Nathi, I love him.

- I'm not fighting just telling the truth, my princess, Uncle Emhre has to be ashamed of himself and start working to earn his prize as you do here at home.

Lunch time was super lively with the kids, the big pavilion with tables and chairs so that everyone can eat and interact as a family at the table, and we also had lunch there together with grandma Paula, the recipes made by the cooks are recipes from grandma, who also puts children and the elderly to cook recipes and thus occupy her mind in cooking classes.

We were sitting in the garden of the Home, a place with green grass and white benches with white sidewalk paths, there it seemed to be heaven and bring the peace that we seek every day after our daily routine.

- Shall we go home my dear?

- says grandma.

- I'm going to the mill with Nathi grandma, I'm going to learn about the business and deserve my award - Nathi looks at me and laughs at my comment - One hour or another I'll have to go to work, dear cousin, I'll start to get interested in business, in a few five years I start an intern – and everyone laughs.

- This grandson of mine is hopeless – and it's Grandma Paula's turn to speak.

- Grandma would like to take Bianca there to the place and stay with her a little longer - I say anxiously.

- My grandson, is it a good idea?

Create expectations in her head, that she will have a different home from the one she has known all her life – she holds my hand – And if a year from now you change your mind, you travel the world, you know places, cities, countries and she is just a girl who only knows the four walls of Lar Das Estrelinhas.

- Grandma I know that I am unstable, that I have no responsibility and a good life, but the only certainty I have is that I will take my little Bianca out of here and take her to see the world - and the smile of one of the women I love the most it's refreshing to me – I promise that when I get custody of her I'll be a new man and a wonderful father to her, and I'll take great care of my little one.

- Maybe my grandson finds a beautiful loving woman who will take care of you and little Bianca.

- I don't intend to get married grandma, I want to be Bianca's father, but marriage is out of my future - I raise my hands - May Ala protect me from the evil of being a man married to one woman - I look at grandma - Too bad Mom made dad sign the law that we men could marry several women, I would have my private harem I wasn't born that beautiful to be one woman.

- Nathi takes this boy from here because he has no way, he takes him to work who knows, maybe he makes sense - before I get slapped by grandma I'm already on my feet.

- I'm going, you don't have to go for the aggression Dona Paula - after getting up and fixing my clothes - Grandma, take Bianca, I'll be very happy.

So Nathi and I went to the plant to see how it was working, we decided to walk to the headquarters, the dirt roads and the cane fields that filled our land, the blue sky and the sun burned our skins.

Today with modernization we have machines instead of workers cutting sugar cane, it was very inhumane to see those people in the hot sun and cutting streets of cane to earn a miserable salary.

Today we can give our employees better working conditions.

- Are you really going to adopt Bianca?

– Nathi asks me.

- I really want this, to be able to take her out of the Home and take her to have a home, a home like she always dreamed of - I look at the floor with my head down - I wish I could help all those children, do more for them.

- Emhre – I looked at her – All the days of my life, and when I say all, I really mean all – we laugh – I wonder if I would have survived, if my father hadn't found me that day, the person who put me in the world left me there, thrown in the middle of a cane field, didn’t worry about my physical integrity, if any animal could find me there, if I was going to die there of thirst and hunger or what harm could happen to me there – her eyes fill up of tears.

- Come here my girl – and then I hug her and she breaks down in tears – I love you.

- You know Emhre I've always wanted to say that, how I really feel about it and I've never been able to open up to anyone, not even Nadia – she sniffed – And look, we're best friends – she hugs me tight.

- I know my love, I've always been by your side and I always will be, I can be with anyone or anywhere I'll always be here for you.

- I know that, but it hurts, I often thought what I did wrong for being left there – she points to the cane plants that surround us – Being left here, not knowing my story and not even who gave birth to child that was abandoned, i could have died, my fragile body was bitten by ants, why?

- Nathi if one day you want answers to your questions I will help you, we have money we can hire the best investigators and find out what happened - I get close to her and put a strand of her black hair behind her ear - It just depends on your will my girl , and I will do everything possible.

- I'll think if I really want to suffer more with this story - she wipes her tears - It makes me very bad and that's why sometimes I disappear in the world and I don't want to bring my sadness to mom and dad, not even to my grandparents who I love so much

- Always count on me my girl, your wish will be an order, if you want to go after your story we will go further if you want to bury all this deep and lock and just know the happiness that it is to be part of our family I will also help -there.

- Thank you Emhre, I love you too and thank you for everything you do for me - she wiped her tears she smiled - Whoever arrives last is the priest's wife - she pushed me and I sat down, while that naughty girl ran away leaving me behind eating dust.